Looking back on a memorable deer huntWhile it’s still a long way until deer season and I have barely wet a hook this spring, I’m forced to recall a deer hunt that still rings clear. Where was I going to hunt in the morning? Being a mobile deer hunter who likes to hunt out of a climbing treestand, I rarely hunt out of the same tree twice in any given year. Furthermore, while our choices are greater, this can be the most frustrating part of our hunt — choosing where to hunt. Some h...

Championship game record remains undefeated FAYETTEVILLE — “So what do plan to do with all this?” Russellville assistant head coach Blake Young asked. “All this” was a reference to the series of pictures, eavesdropping and general shadowing I was doing to the Russellville Cyclones soccer team on their way to the Class 6A state title game against the Greenwood Bulldogs. I arrived at Russellville High School at 9 a.m in order to ride with the team to Fayetteville. I watched the student bo...

2 days, 2 state titlesFAYETTEVILLE — “I don't get nervous,” Russellville pitcher Mark Moyer said the night before the Russellville Cyclones defeated the Marion Patriots 2-0 for the Class 6A state baseball championship. Moyer struck out 10 Marion batters and gave up two hits during Saturday afternoon's victory at Baum Stadium on George Cole Field on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. “I get butterflies,” Moyer continued. “I get a little excited, but ...

STATE CHAMPSFAYETTEVILLE — Missed opportunities. That’s what Russellville Cyclones head coach Jared Fuller didn’t want going into the Cyclones 1-0 victory over the Greenwood Bulldogs for the Class 6A state championship. But that’s exactly what pushed the game into overtime and exactly what almost cost Russellville (17-10) the game. The Cyclones had nine shots on goal, against Greenwood’s lone shot, which sailed high over the goal with 42 seconds left in r...

Local coaches receive All-Star honorsDANVILLE — Zach Hettinga ended his career as the Danville Little Johns head baseball coach with postseason recognition from the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA). Hettinga, who started the Danville baseball program six years ago, resigned from his position to focus on graduate school at Arkansas Tech University. “I really enjoyed our players,” Hettinga said. “They were from good families and hard workers. They were the highlight of my stin...

Obituary: Michael TaylorATKINS — Coach Michael Taylor, 45, of Perry laid his whistle down Wednesday, May 21, 2014, at the Arkansas Hospice River Valley Home in Russellville. He was born Oct. 15, 1968, in Little Rock, son of the late W. O. and Diana Ruth Cellars Taylor. He loved the Lord, his family, sports, squirrel hunting and good barbecue. He was a 1987 graduate of Little Rock McClellan High School and was a 1993 graduate of Arkansas Tech University. He is survive...

LSU beats Arkansas 7-2 in SEC tournament HOOVER, Ala. (AP) — LSU used consistent offensive production and another great outing by ace Aaron Nola to beat Arkansas 7-2 on Thursday night in the Southeastern Conference tournament. LSU (42-14-1) fell behind 1-0 early, but scored at least one run in five of the next seven innings. The Tigers finished with 12 hits, including three from Tyler Moore. Nola cruised for most of the night on the mound. The right-hander gave up two runs over 7 1/3...

Willie Roaf elected to College Hall of Fame LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Pine Bluff native Willie Roaf is among 14 football players and two coaches elected to the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame. The foundation announced the selections Thursday. Roaf was an All-American offensive lineman at Louisiana Tech and spent 13 seasons in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs. He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012. He's also a member of the A...

M.J. Hickey Pool openingM.J. Hickey Pool will be opening on the weekends and the Memorial Day holiday starting Saturday, May 24. The pool will begin opening daily on June 5 when the school year is completed. Daily admission for adults (18 or older) - $4, children (7 - 17) - $3, children (6 and under) - $2. Individual season passes priced at $75 are available at the Hughes Center at 1000 E. Parkway Drive. Pool hours are 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. every day.

Long expects great match-up at stateRussellville Cyclones head baseball coach Matt Long expects a great match-up on Saturday when the Cyclones take on the Marion Patriots in the Class 6A state championship at Baum Field on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. “They play good defense,” Long said. “They’re real athletic. They have a great pitcher on the mound, who has been hurt for a couple weeks. In the semis against El Dorado, he comes back for his first game and t...

Cyclones soccer embarks for state titleRussellville Cyclones head soccer coach Jared Fuller was glad to see the Russellville High School student section turn out for Saturday’s Class 6A state semifinal match against the Mountain Home Bombers. “It’s sad sometimes when there are just 10 people in the stands,” Fuller said. “We need more people coming out to support us. Having that crowd there was so great. It was crucial. The baseball team finished their game early and they came out, ...

Local sports briefs (May 22, 2014)Memorial Day bream tournament Monday ATKINS — The annual Memorial Day bream fishing tournament will begin with registration at 7 a.m. Monday at the Lucky Landing Boat Dock on Lake Atkins and will conclude with a weigh-in at 11:30 a.m. Registration fee is $10 per person for boat or bank fishing, with an extra $5 for the biggest bream prize, a $25 Lucky Landing gift card. Another prize will be awarded to the most weight within limit. Pottsville ...

Arkansas takes down Ole MissThe 20th-ranked and No. 7 seed Arkansas baseball team (37-21) came out on the winning end of a pitcher’s duel Wednesday afternoon, picking up a 2-1 victory over 10th-ranked and No. 2 seed Ole Miss (40-17) in the second round of the SEC Tournament. For the second straight game, the Arkansas pitching staff rose to the occasion and shut down the opponent as Chris Oliver (8-4) tossed 6.1 innings and gave up just four hits and no earned runs, while...

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Arkansas Sports InformationThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Halls display success from hard workThe University of Missouri Tigers starting right guard Mitch Hall spoke to the Russellville Cyclones football team on Monday about how special it is to put on the Cyclones jersey on Friday nights. He ought to know — Hall graduated from Russellville High School in 2011 and spent his Fridays in high school battling for the line of scrimmage under Cyclones head coach Jeff Holt for four years. “I told them about having pride in the program,” Hall ...

Cyclones send four to Meet of ChampionsHEBER SPRINGS — Russellville Cyclones head track coach Charlie Goodman believes Russellville was well represented in the 2014 Meet of Champions in Heber Springs on Saturday. The annual Meet of Champions pits the No. 1 competitors from each track and field event from each classification’s state meet against one another to determine the best-of-the best. Russellville sent sophomore Taylor Hathcoate for her third-place (10’8) finish in pole vault...

Ozarks expanding its shooting sports, will add archeryCLARKSVILLE — The University of the Ozarks athletic department announced Tuesday it will add competitive men’s and women’s archery and expand its current men’s and women’s clay target shooting team, athletics director Jimmy Clark said. Men’s and women’s archery will begin competition in 2014-15. Ozarks established a clay target shooting team in 2010 and already has a number of athletes participating. Each program will compete as an Olympic spo...

Arkansas-Monticello basketball coach steps down MONTICELLO (AP) — Arkansas-Monticello's men's basketball coach Allen Sharpe has resigned to take a similar position at West Alabama. School officials said Tuesday the search for his replacement will begin immediately. Throughout his four years at UAM, Sharpe posted a 70-42 overall record with the Boll Weevils - including the team's best finish of 21-9 during the 2011-12 season. In the past three years since UAM joined the Great American Confer...

Karleskint resigns as ATU hoops coachDoug Karleskint, who has coached the Arkansas Tech men’s basketball program to a 90-34 record over the last four seasons, winning or sharing a conference title and qualifying for the NCAA tournament each season, tendered his resignation to Director of Athletics Steve Mullins on Monday. “We are obviously saddened to lose a coach and person the caliber of Doug Karleskint,” Mullins said. “He played a huge role in putting Wonder Boys basketball on...

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ATU Sports InformationThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley